133-Year-Old Nonprofit Names Radics-Johnson as Executive Director

The YWCA Berkeley/Oakland named Jennifer Radics-Johnson as the Executive Director for the 133-year-old nonprofit institution. Located in Berkeley, the mission of the YWCA/Berkeley is to eliminate racism, empower women, develop leaders and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. YWCA Berkeley/Oakland programs include financial literacy programs for young women, STEM programs for young girls and racial and social justice initiatives like the Stand Against Racism Challenge.

“After a long and fruitful search for our next Executive Director, we are excited to welcome Jennifer Radics-Johnson to the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland,” said Marilyn Cleveland, Board President for the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland. “We are proud of our longstanding history of social justice and empowering women in our community and look forward to Jennifer’s vision and passion to help us with this important work.”

Named “Inspiring Leader” by the Center for Nonprofit Management in 2018, Jennifer Radics-Johnson comes to the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland with more than 15 years of financial, personnel and program management experience. She has served in a number of leadership roles including, Fire Commissioner for the Alameda County Fire Department, Charter Review Committee Member for the City of Albany, Burn Prevention Committee Chair for the American Burn Association, and Chair of the Federation of Burn Foundations. Jennifer has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of California, San Diego and a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and is Certified in Volunteer Administration.

“I am honored to serve at the helm of this community institution and to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our sister YWCA chapters throughout the nation and globe,” said Radics-Johnson. “For 133 years, the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland has been at the forefront of racial, social and gender equality and justice, and yet in 2022, there is still much to do in these arenas. I am thrilled to join the YWCA sisterhood in our fight to eliminate racism and empower women.”

The YWCA Berkeley/Oakland is participating in the Stand Against Racism Challenge to help foster a virtual community of growth and learning around social, systemic, and institutional racial inequity. This YWCA USA national initiative, created in partnership with YWCA Greater Cleveland, is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. This opportunity is open to anyone and will provide participants with daily challenges such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experiences, and so much more. The Challenge runs April 4th – May 2nd.

Visit https://standagainstracism.org to learn more about the challenge and to sign up for free.

ABOUT YWCA BERKELEY/OAKLAND In 1889, seventeen women started the YWCA at UC Berkeley to serve the needs of women and girls through community service, leadership training and support services. The YWCA Berkeley/Oakland has a 133-year tradition of dedication to the empowerment of girls and women and to racial and social justice for ALL people. The organization’s programs and services reach out to the diverse populations of our community, including students, immigrants, foreign students, at-risk youth and the unemployed. To learn more about the work of the YWCA Berkeley/Oakland, visit www.ywca-berkeley.org.